The growth of data centre expenditure by companies is defying the economic crisis, according to an in-depth report.

Twenty five percent growth in UK shows dependence on resilient IT

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The growth of data centre expenditure by companies is defying the economic crisis, according to an in-depth report.

Around the world, business investment in data centres will rise 16 percent to top $35 billion (£21.9 billlion) next year, said the Datacenter Dynamics Industry Census. The report branded the growth in expenditure as "substantial".

UK expenditure on data centres is set to be particularly high, with a 25 percent growth to $3.35 billion (£2.1 billion), almost matching the $3.5 billion expenditure in western United States. Data centre expenditure in China is predicted at $3.1 billion for the year.

The report states that in the UK "growth of facilities and investment will be restrained" but adds that "the large facility base means this represents considerable investment activity".

"The UK has been marked historically by a resistance to outsourcing and this carries through into the findings of the Census," it says.

In the UK, around 39 percent of businesses house their data centres on site with their main office, and 61 percent house them elsewhere.

"The world is becoming more IT dependent," said Nick Parfitt, research director at Datacenter Dynamics. "The perception is without question that data centres are the best way of ensuring the availability and reliability of IT services and the machines to deliver them."